On the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains in April, an energy revolution is brewing on the Gobi Desert. On April 1, 2026, the Zhongke Liquid Sunshine (Shawan) Green Hydrogen Coupled Zero Carbon Emission Liquid Sunshine Methanol Circular Economy Industrial Project was officially launched in the Haragande Industrial Incubation Park in Shawan City, Tacheng, Xinjiang. This is not only a benchmark project for the national "15th Five Year Plan" hydrogen energy strategy, but also marks China's global breakthrough in the industrialization scale of "liquid sunshine" technology.

The project is led by the team of academician Li Can from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, relying on the world's leading "liquid sunlight" technology to build an integrated zero carbon circular economy model of "wind solar hydrogen alcohol". Compared to traditional coal chemical industry, this project can save about two-thirds of coal consumption, achieve efficient conversion of green electricity and on-site consumption of green hydrogen, and provide a "Xinjiang solution" for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the industrial sector.

The world's largest integrated layout of "wind solar hydrogen alcohol"

This project is known as the world's largest green hydrogen coupled coal chemical project, and its core lies in building a complete closed loop of green energy and chemical industry chain. The total investment of the project exceeds 100 billion yuan, with a planned land area of about 350000 acres and a construction period of four years, to be promoted in two phases.

Chemical core: Annual production of 3.6 million tons of methanol, which is the core output and value anchor of the industry.

Green Power Guarantee: Supporting a 13.5GW photovoltaic hydrogen production project to provide sufficient green power for hydrogen production.

Resource foundation: A coal mining project with an annual output of about one million tons, consolidating the upstream resource foundation and achieving clean and efficient utilization of resources.

Academician Li Can's "Liquid Sunshine" technology has been implemented

The 'liquid sunlight' technology is the soul of the project. This technology is independently developed by the team of Academician Li Can. Its core is to use renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen, which is then converted into methanol through catalytic technology by combining green hydrogen with carbon dioxide. This process not only realizes the resource utilization of carbon dioxide, but also converts unstable solar energy into storable and transportable liquid fuel.

Zhongke Liquid Sunshine (Shawan) Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., as the implementing entity, was established in August 2024 with a registered capital of 10.01 million yuan. It is jointly owned by Zhongke Liquid Sunshine (Suzhou) Hydrogen Energy Technology Development Co., Ltd. and Liaoning Zhongcarbon Carbon Sequestration Technology Co., Ltd. The company relies on the technological accumulation of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences to build a mature "electric hydrogen alcohol carbonization" common rail industry ecosystem.

Assist Xinjiang in building a national level green hydrogen base

The implementation of the Shawan project is not only a technological breakthrough, but also an important part of the regional energy strategy. Xinjiang has abundant scenic resources, and this project will help Xinjiang build a national level green hydrogen production and "West East Hydrogen Transmission" base by coupling green hydrogen with coal chemical industry.

The project adopts independent innovative technologies such as "oil alcohol co refining" to catalyze the conversion of methanol and coking benzene products into polyester fibers such as PET. In the future, it can be combined with the textile industry in Xinjiang to produce high-end textile and clothing fabrics, realizing the high-value utilization of local resources and circular economy. This mode has opened a new chapter for the green transformation and high-quality development of energy in Shawan City and even Xinjiang.Editor/Yang Meiling